Environmentalists push back as Baltimore plans to clear out old-growth trees from Herring Run

BALTIMORE - The Baltimore City Department of Public Works is facing criticism from environmental groups over a plan to clear out old-growth trees on the Western Branch of Herring Run.  

Environmentalists are concerned that construction around the stream is going to do more harm than good.

"All the trees —as we walk through this whole corridor are going to get taken out. And remember what I said about that– it's not just these corridors and once you take out this open area, it impacts the other parts of the forest as well," said Rob Schnabel, a Restoration Scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).

Schnabel guided neighbors and others on a walk through Herring Run – an area Baltimore City plans to clear out for a stormwater management project.

According to scientists with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, construction access for the project will require the city to clear out three football fields worth of old-growth forest near the stream. 

Environmentalists say the trees around the stream help reduce flooding, combat climate change and cool the stream and neighboring urban areas.

"They're going to remove a good bit of forest here, and it's a beautiful old mature forest that has lots of 100-year-old oaks in it – to beech trees, and it's pretty contiguous providing a lot of shade," said Schnabel.  "These forests are critical for urban areas, especially as we get more and more 90-degree days. These have helped kind of keep temperatures a little bit cooler to like on a 90-degree day in the forest, it's probably gonna be like 75 degrees a good 15 degrees cooler." 

After visiting the site, experts and friends of Herring Run are concerned about the impacts this project could have on the stream's long and short-term health.  

"When you change the land use from a forested land use or you put in parking lot, you're basically changing the whole dynamics of the water so any water that would normally soak into the land as a sponge becomes a funnel– it can channelize all the water and force it to run off the land really quickly," said Schnabel. 

According to Baltimore city's public works website, the plan to clear this part of the western branch of herring run is a part of Baltimore City's Municipal Stormwater or MS4 Permit Requirement which was updated in 2021. 

Scientists claim the city plans to shore up and move each side of the waterway as a part of the stream restoration work. 

"If we walk into your left hand on this side, all the trees on this thing as you work your way up at least 500-600 feet —all that is going to be gone," said Schnabel.

Scientists also say the city is doing the stream restoration work to seek pollution credits instead of being upfront about the bigger issue. 

"This is just an example of what is going on statewide. Baltimore city has to submit a plan to Maryland Department of Environment of how they're going to treat their parking lots and rooftop run off and basically the biggest way they're attempting to get these credits is to do stream projects," said Schabel. 

Scientists claim the city is pursuing this project to seek pollution credits from the state–something advocates hope to change.

"We want the state of Maryland —the Maryland Department environment to no longer allow stream restoration as a practice to satisfy municipalities impervious acre credits. That is the long term goal. We can't fight these projects and every little jurisdiction the state needs to no longer make that an allowable practice," said Schnabel.